The Chancer
by Ellessaria
Summary: Sirius was half-crazed when he blasted Peter Pettigrew in the aftermath of that terrible Halloween in 1981, but even a half-crazed wizard shouldn't have laughed quite so much... should he?


**Well, here I am again, posting another of the one-shots that I wrote seven or eight years ago. It's not as polished as I would like it to be, but I didn't want to mess with it because it was one of my favourite HP shots to write. Originally it was a songfic to 'Shape of my Heart' by Sting, but I've removed the lyrics so that I don't get burned by copyright flames.  
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**Sirius, Regulus et al belong to the one and only Jo Rowling.  
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"Regulus! Hey Regulus! Wanna play some Quidditch?"

"Kweeditch, kweeditch!"

Sirius laughed at his younger brother's enthusiasm."Come on then, little bro. I might even let you score a few Quaffles."

The two brothers spent a laughter-filled hour chasing each other around the sky; the game itself was just an excuse, most of the time the Quaffle was ignored as they took turns to race each other from one end of the 'pitch' to the next. Sirius _loved_ playing with his younger brother; Regulus was one of the happiest children he had ever met. Most of his cousins and friends were very uptight and tended to frown a lot, especially if fun was being had. 'Fun' was almost a curse-word in the Black family home. Their parents were more inclined towards studious activities for their sons; games were seldom allowed. Sirius had learned from a very young age that this was because he was a Pure Blood.

Pure Bloods – as his parents often reminded him – had a duty to their family's reputation. The Black family in particular went back many, many years, and Mr. Black especially insisted that their good name kept its respectability.

"You boys are virtually Princes in the Wizarding community," he would often lecture. "And as Princes, you have the family honour to uphold."

Quite how playing games and having fun would tarnish their reputation, Sirius didn't know, but he was smart enough to realize that the less his father knew about his activities, the better.

The Sun began to set and Sirius quickly ushered his brother into the house. Taking care to be as quiet as proverbial mice, they stole into their schoolroom and sat at their respective desks.

"What did we do today, Regulus?" coached Sirius.

"We learned about our ants' sisters," replied Regulus solemnly.

"That's right, little bro, we learned about our ancestors."

Regulus nodded, picked up his quill, and proceeded to look extremely bored. Sirius stifled a laugh as he copied the action himself; when their father came to check on them, he would be satisfied that they had spent the entire day studying their family history.

_**Ten Years Later…**_

"Regulus? Fancy a quick game of Quidditch?"

Regulus looked up from his book and frowned.

"Not right now, Sirius, I'm a little busy."

Sirius returned the frown with one of his own.

"You _always_ seem to be busy these days. What are you doing anyway? It can't be homework, school's only just finished. We've got weeks and weeks before we have to go back. Come on, have a game with me."

"I said I was busy."

"Fine."

Sirius glared at his brother and stormed out of the room. Regulus just wasn't the same as he used to be. The time when they used to lark around behind their parents' backs was long gone. He couldn't understand it, Regulus used to be such a _fun_-loving boy. Now he was always holed up somewhere with a book, or having _serious_ _discussions_ with his father.

For Sirius, spending time at home was now pretty much unbearable. The last few years had seen a disquiet brew between he and his parents, especially with his father. These days they never saw eye to eye, and barely even spoke to each other. At first, Sirius wasn't bothered by this development, but since Regulus was becoming more and more like his father, life at the Black residence had become pretty grim.

Sirius spent as much time as he could over at James' house. _Good old Prongs_ he thought, grinning. He and James were practically twins; in fact, he thought of the entire Potter family as his own.

It was with this thought in mind that he sneaked from the house and, after grabbing his broomstick, headed to James' home. Upon arrival, he was gladdened at the sight of all three of his friends. James had what he called a _hideaway_ in his parents' cellar, a place that all four friends put to great use. Sometimes they would have a boisterous game of Wizard Chess, other times they would play a few games of cards, but mostly they used their time there for plotting their night-time wanderings.

Sirius arrived during what looked like a serious game of poker; Remus had shown them many of the Muggle card games, but poker had become a firm favourite with everyone, except perhaps Peter of course. The art of the game had bypassed their nervous friend and usually he was happiest just to watch.

Sirius greeted his friends and took the remaining seat at the makeshift card table. This wasn't the first time he had escaped his home lately, and the others knew not to question him too much. Sirius settled into the game quickly and was soon on a roll, beating his friends with ease. Remus was the first to 'go all in' and he lost at the turn of the cards, but Sirius knew his quiet friend well, and understood that Remus had purposely left the game so that he and James could continue in earnest. He and James never lacked for money, so they always bet heavily when they played each other. Remus was too proud to play I.O.U.s.

The cards were a joy for Sirius. He could lose himself amongst the Kings and Queens, work out the odds of a winning hand, and judge how much a bluff could be worth in seconds. His brain was perfectly suited to the reckless nature of the game.

_Yes, poker with James was an escape…_

Of course, his friends often accused him of loving the game simply because he rarely lost a hand. They all thought that he revelled in being the winner all the time; even James suspected that Sirius only played to uphold his image of being the reckless, but lucky Black.

But to Sirius, it wasn't about the game. It was about the randomness of it; the Law of Chance that meant that one day, _one day_, he would surely lose. So far that day had not come, and Sirius suspected that it never would. He was becoming so confident, in fact, that it was affecting all other areas of his life. He was beginning to think that he couldn't lose at _anything_.

_**Leaving Hogwarts...**_

The final feast had been consumed, trunks had been packed, and last minute goodbyes had been said. The four friends climbed aboard the Hogwarts Express for the last time, and looked to the future with mixed feelings. Sirius noted that Regulus had once again avoided him, and had chosen a compartment with some fellow Slytherins. Over the last two years Regulus had morphed into a younger version of their father completely. They barely spoke any more, and when they did, it was only to exchange bitter words and insults. Sirius now had a burning hatred for his father, and had in fact not been home for a very long time.

Regulus had continued his downward spiral into the Dark Arts with apparent relish; it appeared that all hope was lost when it came to redeeming him.

Added to this was the ever-growing threat of the one they called Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore had already approached several of the graduating students and asked them if they would be interested in joining the fight. All four Marauders had immediately jumped at the chance to get involved, though as usual, Peter was the last to sign up. Even James' girlfriend, Lily Evans, had been eager to help in any way that she could.

James was in it for the simplest of reasons; defeating Voldemort was the right thing to do, therefore it should be done. Remus was of much the same mind, though Sirius had a feeling that his quiet friend was also after justice for the terrible wrongs that had been inflicted on him in his childhood. Peter was in it because he always followed the majority; Sirius was sure that his nervous friend would _never_ have joined if his friends hadn't have been so eager.

And Sirius? Sirius was joining because he knew he could help. He was a chancer after all; he was that _'Reckless, Lucky Black'_. He felt sure that he could use his never-ending luck to good effect. He'd take all the most dangerous missions; all the tasks that others would be wary of undertaking. He, Sirius Black, would take out Voldemort and perhaps – just perhaps – save his little brother in the process. To play another game of Quidditch with Regulus was worth all the galleons in the world.

_**The Birth of a Hope...**_

The arrival of Harry James Potter on July 31st of 1980 was one of the happiest times of Sirius' life so far, but it came in the midst of war. The Order of the Phoenix had upped their game, and attacks against Voldemort's army of Death Eaters were becoming more and more regular. Of course, 'attacks' was probably not the correct term to use. The Death Eaters had instigated so many fights that it was inevitable that the retaliations would be doubled. Still, Sirius revelled in taking all of the opportunities to defeat the people who had effectively stolen his little brother from him. His recklessness had also increased, but his luck was still holding.

He would never admit openly, but deep down Sirius knew that this whole war was just an excuse for him; a reason for him to lash out at those who had taken his little brother and set him on the wrong path. His own father was one of those people, and Sirius held no qualms about taking his entire family down if he had to. Regulus had to be saved.

Often he would find himself taking a dog-eared pack of cards from his pocket and setting out two hands. He would play both hands until he reached a stalemate. He could never beat himself. As he turned the cards over, he would find himself thinking of times past; days spent flying with his brother would fill his mind until all else was pushed from his thoughts. The cards soothed him as nothing else could. He was the Master of Luck after all; he didn't need anything else. He could beat _anyone_…

_**Luck Runs Out...**_

Sirius continued to win every fight he undertook for almost a year, but then Lady Luck decided to leave him. Word arrived that Regulus was missing, and Sirius knew what that meant; his little brother was dead. After that, things began to unravel so rapidly that Sirius didn't have chance to regroup. As fast as he received one piece of bad news, another would follow behind it. It seemed that everyone he loved was leaving him…

And then October 31st arrived. Merlin, if ever there was a time when Sirius needed to be lucky, then this was it. But when Lady Luck left you, she left you for good. As Sirius waited nervously for news of his friends, he pulled out his cards and began to shuffle them. He dealt two hands for himself, but the game lasted seconds. He beat himself on the turn of the first card. Several games followed the same pattern, until Sirius realized that he would continue to lose for the rest of the night.

That's when he knew that Lily and James were dead.

Sirius Black. The Reckless One. The Lucky One. Sirius laughed bitterly. The mask had slipped. His recklessness had not paid off this time. His suggestion of using Peter as the Secret-Keeper had backfired. He knew he would never hear James or Lily laugh again.

Sirius gathered his cards and left his hiding place, setting out for Godric's Hollow. Maybe his luck would turn, and he would find the rat who had betrayed them all.

oo0oo

Anger, pain, and a thirst for revenge pushed Sirius onwards towards the battleground of his friends' home. Anguish filled minutes passed as he found the bodies of his best friends, and saw the devastation that had befallen them.

But then hope began to spring, for he could hear a baby crying. Harry's sobs spurred him on, and soon he found his beloved Godson and took him from the ruins of his bedroom. His luck had perhaps not completely left him after all...

Then something else happened which convinced him that Lady Luck had returned to him. Hagrid – Hagrid! – arrived. Hagrid was the perfect person to take care of Harry, while Sirius took care of someone else; namely Peter. After persuading the gentle giant into taking the precious bundle, Sirius lay in wait for a traitor.

He was not disappointed, for Peter arrived within minutes of Hagrid's departure. Sirius laughed madly and thanked the Lady for coming back. He faced Peter with the confidence that he was known for. The confidence... and the _recklessness_.

As they verbally warred with each other, Sirius lovingly caressed the cards in his pocket. _Now _was the time; _now_ was his chance to redeem himself, and rid the world of the man responsible for the death of his friends. He had complete faith that he would win this fight. He had to. If he couldn't complete this task, he would never be able to look at himself without shame. He didn't care what everyone would think; he didn't care that people would call him a murderer. He would know himself that he had avenged his friends' deaths. That was all that mattered.

Sirius cast his curse at the same time as Peter cast his. As he uttered the incantation, he pulled his cards from his pocket and threw them up to the stars, praying for Lady Luck to give him one last little bit of magic.

Stones and debris rushed up to meet his upturned face; shouts and screams reached his ears, and strong arms circled him. Sirius glanced back to where Peter had been standing, and saw that no-one was there. He began to laugh madly; Peter had been killed. He had done it. Lady Luck had helped him one last time…

As the Aurors led the still-laughing Sirius Black away, the cards that he had thrown up began to flutter back down to the ground. Most of them were in tatters; the edges burned by the blast from the ground.

Most, save for one.

This last card landed gently in the spot where Sirius had been standing. As the Aurors Disapparated with their prisoner, a gust of wind flipped the card face up, and the echoes of Sirius Black's laughter reflected on The Joker's face.


End file.
